Desktop Power Supply from a PC

Updated March 13, 2009

(See the narrative and disclaimer at the bottom of the page)

A completed 145 watt ATX power supply with switch, binding posts, labels and feet. Notice the zip ties in the ventilation slots
that hold the load resistor.

If you find building your own desktop powersupply from a recycled PSU and a few parts from the local electronics store appealing, then grab
some tools, pour yourself a cup of coffee (or personal preference) and let's get started. The LED (light emitting diode) was also salvaged from
an old PC. If you want to add a power on indicator, LED's add a nice touch and can easily be wired into the +5v rail. I do strongly encourge you
to read the contents of this site and associated links before beginning your conversion -- there are a number of hints included in the associated pages.

This ATX PS board has leads for +5 (RED), -5 (WHITE), +12 (YELLOW), -12 (BLUE) volts, Ground (BLACK) and switch (GREEN).
Be warned that some DELL power supplies manufactured between 1996 and 2000 do not follow the industry standard pinout and color codes. The fan has
also been unplugged for better viewing. Since this PS was converted for use in the logic and robotics labs, the selected voltages
were tapped. Other users may want combinations of +3.3 V (ORANGE), +5 V and/or +12 V if they are converting one of the newer supplies.
For R/C applications, the 5 volt output can also serve as a desktop source to drive receivers and servos. If used as a power source for the micro
and sub-micro servos, you must be careful not to drive the servo to either endpoint to avoid stripping the smaller gears in these units. Most standard
servos have sufficiently robust gear trains and will simply stall if pushed to the mechanical stops..

Measured voltages on this particular PS (1996 P5-100 MHz Gateway) were about 5.15 and 11.75 volts. The remaining leads have
been clipped off at the circuit board.

View of the case top with fan, binding posts and switch. The switch (SPST) and binding posts are available at Radio
Shack or other electronics suppliers.

Power supplies in today's computers are known as SWITCHMODE or Switching Mode power supplies and require a load to
continue to operate after being switched on (the term switching mode actually applies to the technique of A/C to D/C conversion
and not to the power up action). This load is provided by a 10 watt, 10 ohm wire wound load resistor (sandbar - about $0.80 at
Radio Shack) across the +5 volt supply. While many of the newer power supplies will Latch_On without a preload, you will find that
adding the resistor will (1) increase the measured voltage on the 12 volt rail slightly and (2) help stabilize the voltage level in this rail
by minimizing voltage drop when the powersupply is loaded with a charger.
Some inexpensive power supplies may fail if forced on without a load although the Design Guide
states that the supplies should not be damaged if run without a sufficient load. The sandbar resistor has been zip tied to the case with a
small amount of heat sink compound applied to the flattest side of the resistor . I will also take a file and remove any stamping flash that
may remain around the ventilation slots. Without cooling, the resistor will get very hot and may fail prematurely; with this arrangement, the
resistor will remain barely warm to the touch.

Be warned that many of the heat
sink greases can be quite toxic and any excess should be cleaned up and disposed of properly. Also be sure to thoroughly clean your hands
and tools after use. While most heatsink compounds are rated to 160 to 170 C, some may dry out over time and their effectiveness will
diminish -- a periodic check for good contact between the case and resistor is a recommended practice.

Additional comments

Disclaimer: The information presented should not be considered a "HOWTO" article, but merely a documentation of my conversion
process. Modern PC Power Supplies can produce high output current levels that may cause internal overheating in the PS or damage
to devices connected to them. Any individual attempting their own conversion is cautioned to carefully research their PS specifications
and to be mindful of the associated voltages and power. DO NOT work on your opened power supply with it plugged in!!!!

The PS in the picture is a 145 watt ATX salvaged from a 1996 P5-100 MHz Gateway -- I salvage all usable parts from the older
PC's before dumping them. This one is set up for a logic lab, hence the +5, -5, +12, -12 volt taps. We also use the +5 to
drive servos in the robotics lab. This supply does not have a 3.3 V source, but the newer supplies do. INTEL has continued
to modify the ATX specifications to include additional power connectors to support the increased power requirements of the
newer motherboards. Before any modification is attempted, you should be sure of the type of power supply you are working
with and the output currents being produced at each voltage level. Higher wattage supplies can generate fairly hefty levels
of current and may overheat or damage devices attached to them. See the Table of
Representative Current Levels for other power
supplies.

*** Note that the 1996-2000 Dell's did not completely follow this color coding -- check your voltage levels with a meter before wiring ***

The yellow, red and black wires will likely be grouped together with a clip. Some of the PS's will have a detachable plug for the
fan and some will have the fan permanently attached to the circuit board. If the fan is attached, I usually clip the wires then
re-solder and cover with heatshrink tubing -- this gives more working room while modifying the PS and allows me to lube the fan.

If you are going to use only the +12v and +5v, you may clip the other wires at the circuit board level or leave the unused wires about an inch long, gather
common colors together, slip a piece of heatshrink tubing over the bundle and shrink -- it is an easy way to corral and insulate loose ends.

If you expect to place high current demands on your powersupply, it may be prudent to run two wires to each binding post -- while
it is very unlikely that the 18 AWG wire will overheat, there have been some instances of melted wires and connectors occurring
on high demand motherboards.

Cut everything else off even with the board or bundle together as noted above. I usually cut the power harnesses so I can keep as much together as possible.
The wires remaining in the power supply should be left long and cut to length as needed. If you leave them too long, they will
get in the way when boxing it up, especially if the fan is internal rather than external. Be sure that they stay out of the
way of the fan blades.

Wire in your power switch between the green (PS_ON) rail and any DC ground (black). The switch (single pole, single throw) and
binding posts can be found at local electronics supply houses or online. If your powersupply has a master switch, usually
located near the AC plug, you may simply solder the green PS_ON directly to DC ground and use the master switch to power up.
This works just as well and will save you the expense of a switch and time needed to install it.

Attach your other rails, DC ground, +12v, and +5v if used, to the appropriate binding posts. These posts must not be grounded
to the powersupply case, so be sure to check for any continuity between the case and post before trying to powerup the supply.

If you want to add a power on indicator light, now's the time to do it. LEDs are quite inexpensive, have incredibly long lifetimes
if run at 20 ma or less, produce essentially no heat and can be wired to the +5v rail. However, LEDs are current driven devices and will require a dropping
resistor to ensure that it does not burn out immediately. A 1/4 watt carbon film resistor rated at 180 to 220 ohms wired between either
of the leads and the PSU will work nicely. LEDs, being a diode, are also polarized and must be wired with the positive lead (anode)
attached to +5v rail and the negative lead (cathode) attached to DC ground. LEDs have a flat molded into one side of the base --- this flat
will be on the same side as the cathode. If your LED is new and has not had the leads shortened, the longest leg will be the
positive lead or anode, but locating the flat is the safest means of determining polarity. Although commercial mounting clips are
available, a 3/16" ID rubber grommet works out just as well. Drill your case to accept the grommet, pop it into place and push
the LED in until the base bottoms out against the grommet. It will protrude about 1/8" for good visibility. I prefer diffuse lens
to clear since they show up better when viewed from the side, but either lens style will add a little DIY pizzazz.

When reassembling the case, be sure to reattach the fan -- some supplies will not function without the fan attached - in any
event, you need the cooling. This PS in the pictures has the fan mounted on rubber shock mounts and is extremely quiet. I will
also disassemble the fan and lube the bearings while I have the PS open. Since these are salvaged, the fans have been in use for
some time and normally the bearings are dry -- I use a high grade sewing machine oil from SINGER. Any light oil will work, just
don't use WD40 --

As an aside, you can get 7 volts from the +5 V and +12 V outputs -- the +5 V is considered the negative (GND) and +12 the
positive -- some geeks will use this combination to run their fans at a lower speed to reduce noise.

I've followed all the instructions, but the output voltage on the +12 V side is still low -- what can I do?? Many of the R/C
folks are converting power supplies for the purpose of driving field chargers and are finding that voltage levels below 12 volts are
sometimes insufficient to power their chargers. Read these TIPS for some
options that may help increase this voltage level, provide a little theory, identify the connector pinouts found on most PC supplies and
give a few troubleshooting hints.

Is there any way I can get more amperage out of my converted PSU?

Updated: March 13, 2009

Improvements in battery technology, brushless motors and more robust speed controllers have allowed "electrics" to expand into model
sizes that were once the province of nitro and gas engines only. Obviously, as the motors became more powerful, the batteries required to
drive these motors also increased in capacity, measured by the amperage they are able to supply to the flight system. To realize a reasonable
charge time, modern battery chargers must be able to deliver more current to these batteries than ever before. In the electronics environment,
as in all other closed systems, there ain't no free lunch. Consequently, the chargers also need a higher amperage power source than previously required.
Converted PC power supplies may be stretched to the limit by these demands for more current. Is there anything that can be done to
squeeze more amps from one of these PSU's?

There may be a possible fix to this problem, but your PSU must be one of the newer ATX12V models for you to be able to apply the
modification. Visit this page to see if a solution is available for your conversion.

Resistor Substitute

A viable alternative to using a power resistor is to substitute an 1157 automotive signal lamp in its place. This is a dual filament lamp
and its load, with both filaments powered, is usually sufficient to maintain Latch_On and to raise the voltage on the 12v rail to
an appropriate level for most needs. Your options are to solder a 5v line (red) to both positive pins on the lamp and ground the base
to DC ground or to pick up a twist-lock socket when you buy the lamp. The advantage of using a socket is the ease of replacement should
the lamp fail. If you don't feel comfortable with your soldering skills, it is also a little easier to work with the wiring on the socket
rather than the pins on the lamp. Just remember that the socket housing is the ground and the two wires in the base are to be attached
to the 5v rail. More importantly, you must be very careful that neither the bulb base nor socket housing touch any of the internal components
in the power supply. These lamps may be purchased at any automotive supply store and most Walmarts.

I prefer the use of resistors since the final converted product is wholly self-contained and I have more control over the applied load, but
the use of a lamp does simplify finding and installing components. It also makes a very obvious Power_On indicator!

I usually deal with on-line suppliers such as Jameco, Digikey, Mouser, etc. because we are buying in larger quantities and Radio
Shack is too expensive for large numbers of items. However, you should be able to convert your PC supply for $5.00 or $6.00
dollars -- less if you have a junk box of parts. I suppose you could add an LED indicator with a 220 ohm dropping resistor to the 5v rail to show the PS is
turned on, but the fan is a pretty good hint. We have had supplies running 24/7 for months without problems --
just electricity consumption.

The PS has some fairly hefty electrolytic capacitors and can still give a bit of a shock immediately after being unplugged -- let it
sit a couple of minutes before poking around inside. Obviously, you can get whacked if you are inside the case with it still
plugged in -- probably won't kill you, but you WILL turn it loose (never mind how I discovered this bit of information).

If you have any questions, comments or corrections, feel free to mail me.